Weather: raining, will probably never be sunny again
Music: "Unaccountable Effect", Liz Story
I suppose you think that my long silence means I have been writing. Perhaps (!) even finishing early. Well, no, in fact. I have been quiet because it is hard to blog from the Slough of Despond. Part four of this book turned into a long, dragging nightmare. I would plan a chapter, then it would stretch out to two, or three. Scenes were missing, they had to go in. I'd hoped to rein it in under 1250 000 words, but it will go closer to 135 000. BUT there is good news too. Light, even, at the end of the tunnel (weighs about as much as the Atlantic). I finally fought my way out of the story! I finally worked out precisely how I'm going to get from the end of part four to the end of part five (which is the end of the book). Now I know which direction to head in, I feel all light and bubbly, though the bubbly feeling may be sleep deprivation.
I am, at this exact moment, finishing up part four. It's a big scene, I've been building to it for a while, and from that point the story should fall away like a sand dune collapsing under my feet. Hmmm... that actually doesn't sound so good. I mean it will have a fierce inevitability about it, that will make it easy to finish. So, I intend to polish off this scene, then actually (no, wait for it) have a break for about a week (no, really) to read the story so far and do some quick fixing up. Then, next week, I shall sit down and finish the first draft, hopefully by the 29th when my boy starts school, then that will give me two days to fix up part five (only about 15 000 words) and stick the whole thing in an envelope to post to Sydney.
So, I will need to get on with it, won't I?
Estimated total length of the book: 150 - 155 000 words.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Well, I'm glad you got through SOD land. It is exhausting just to read about the book writing process, let alone having to do the hard work of writing. Still, 150,000-155,000 words is a much better aim than 1.25 millions words (yes, a typo, I know).
Sounds like your book is becoming quite a tome. Worth its weight in gold, I am sure (and useful for body builders too). Maybe you should have called it Gold Brick.
I can't believe you are almost nearing the end of the first draft. How exciting!
I like the way you described the finish of part four and the inevitability of the ending, like a "sand dune collapsing" under you.
just came back from camping and was picking out a book to read. on the cover was a saucy-looking flapper. it is a collection of 1920s mysteries. anyhoo, there's this flapper staring at me and i think, "hm, time to check in on Kim."
lo and beho' you've been working out again. temporal lobes of steel!
never was in doubt. you're the one who said that if you have to do it, you just do.
gluck!
Post a Comment